A Silver Smile
by MissMusic17
Summary: After a suicide attempt, Alana begins life anew, but in a world she never even dreamed of, a world of secrecy, of prophets, of magic.
1. Prologue

**A/N- My first FanFiction, so please review, let me know how I'm doing!**

A Silver Smile

Prologue

I was gonna jump.

My life was a misery, and I didn't need it. All I had to do to end the stress was let go. My fingers chafed against the rough paint coating the cable, a reminder to my suicidal mind that death wasn't hard at all. All I had to do was unclench the rigid claws I had for hands.

So easy. So simple. Effortless, really.

So why couldn't I do it?

Through a veil of self-hating tears, I took one last look around, trying to memorize the beauty. I would NOT be afraid.

The bright lights of San Francisco shone like a beacon off to my side. Out on the sea, I saw the dark spot that was Alcatraz. The ocean was a constant roar, crashing against the bridge I clung to, crashing against the shore.

I let go, and fell from the bridge.

It only lasted four seconds, four seconds of terror, of exultant joy, of fierce triumph.

Then my feet hit the water at seventy-something miles per hour, the bones shattering as if I had hit cement.

And I passed out.


	2. A Kidnapping

**A/N- Please Review! I want to know what you guys think!**

Chapter One

A Kidnapping

Malik was disappointed. It had been a week in the San Francisco area with no luck. They'd be upset. He knew that much.

He was trudging home, wallowing, while taking a detour to the bridge. Maybe he'd get lucky? About two streets away, an ambulance wailed past. Who knew? Malik followed the sounds of the siren toward the bridge, a newfound spring in his step.

By the time he got to the site, the jumper had been fished out. His water-sharpened eyes easily saw her chest rising and falling as she was carried on a gurney to the ambulance. Alive, good. But why a girl? Delia would get territorial. Well, more territorial. But then again, she was very sensitive.

He pulled in his leather jacket a bit tighter, readjusted his hat. No need to be seen, right?

Malik walked casually up, and swung into the ambulance. The surgeons were frantically trying to save her. However, the jolt of his arrival got their attention, but with one look in his black and yellow eyes, they passed out cold. The driver didn't even notice, and began to drive to the hospital. Malik carefully, carefully! picked up the jumper, the recruit, he should say. He simply opened the door and jumped out of the speeding ambulance.

It was that easy, to steal someone out of an emergency vehicle.

Walking to the beach, he examined her wounds. Not too bad. The surgeons had patched her up pretty fast, enough for the time being.

Fastening a breathing device to her face, Malik took a deep breath. He needed no machines. He simply walked into the water, and began to swim the many miles home.


	3. Dreams

**A/N-**_**Please**_** review my story!**

**Alana- Please people, she's holding me captive until you do….**_**and she can't cook at all!**_

**M/M- Yes I most certainly can! And what's up with this "eating" thing anyway?**

**Alana- Just review! Maybe she'll set me free…..**

**M/M- Or maybe not, my little prisoner.**

Chapter Two

Dreams

My dreams were cloudy, a mishmash of images. Images of utmost pain and horror.

A courtroom. I sat in my chair, watching, my face an emotionless mask, a mask to hide my fear. My mother, my mommy, my momma, she had always been impulsive, living in the moment. She signed first.

Then my father, my daddy, my dodi, he had always been generous. He was willing to give his signature, at the cost of his own pain. He hesitated, then he did it. The ultimate undoing of oaths. He wrote his name next to Mom's.

The deed was done. My life was officially torn in two.

A hallway. I stared in tormented agony as Jason kissed her, kissed his demon girlfriend. I heard the words through the noise of hundreds of lockers, voices, and feet, like knives, plunging into my heart.

"Would you like to go to the dance with me?"

My secret crush was within the demon's grasp, and I knew she'd never, ever, let him go.

A yard. My gaze was riveted on Ben as he ran into the street after a stray ball. I was frozen helpless as I saw the car hit him at twice the speed limit, easy.

I saw blood fly everywhere, saw his arms and legs bent at impossible angles. Saw his eyes flutter closed. Saw his chest halt the rise and fall of breathing.

Saw my Ben's life end at the age of five.

Saw an innocent life snuffed out like a candle, gone.

Dreaming, I realize something. I am always the watcher. I never act, only observe others act, observe my own life even. I never work to change my life. What would it have been like if I had? And I feel, but if I am not part of the world, are my emotions just washed out ghosts of the real thing? Am I even human if I do not truly experience feelings?

The dreams soon obliterated my train of thought.

The first day of school. Nobody would talk to me; I was too different, an outcast. Sitting alone and knowing it was going to be a long year.

A computer screen. Seeing the words, so stark, so matter-of-fact on the white background. Seeing people tell me things they never would in person.

A thousand different voices and faces in a thousand different settings, telling me over and over,

"No, we can't, Alana. We just don't have the money."

Thinking it was going to be impossible to climb out of my hole of unpopularity. Thinking I never would, not without the right clothes, the right makeup, the right shoes. Thinking over and over and over again, _Why me?_

And so it continued, my horrors showcased for me, a long parade of pain.

It would have gone on longer had a noise not awoken me. Something crashed onto the floor, and I sat up in shock.

I then proceeded to scream in terror at the thing before me.

**A/N- Alana- About that food you promised me…..**

**M/M- FINE! Let's get you some nice homemade cereal.**

**Alana- From the box. I'm very sick of Fruit Loops, you know.**

**M/M- Soooooo? You are my captive! I do whatever I want with you!**

**Alana- Help me!**


	4. Waking Up

**A/N- Ok, Alana, say it!**

**Alana- do I have to?**

**M/M- Yes. You're my captive until the good people review. READ YOUR CARD!**

**Alana- Ummmmm… okay…" Hello. I am not waiting to be rescued, so don't worry, just…" Hey! I am waiting to be rescued, and this is the worst cue card I've ever seen!**

**M/M- Well, then, if you're going to be hurtful.**

Chapter Four

Waking Up

I stopped screaming when I ran out of breath.

I felt like a jackhammer was attaching my head, and I was a bit…..dry. Like I needed a drink of water, the way you do when you're outside in the summer.

I was in a white room. White bed, white sheets, white lamp, table, chair, everything was white. The table was long, taking up half the wall. It was cluttered with things you see in hospitals, like bandages, thread, a stethoscope, etc., along with several unidentifiable machines and what looked like herbal medicines.

There was no window, and only one door. A large pot was shattered on the ground. That was probably what had woken me up.

Cleaning up the pot was the creature that had caused my screaming, which was truthfully more out of shock than fear.

The creature, well, I saw as it stood up, she, was beautiful, in an otherworldly way.

She wore a simple white dress. (More white?) Her skin was a pale emerald green, and her hair jet black, hanging to her waist. She had thin, webbed fingers and wide brown eyes. Her oval face housed thin, baby pink lips and a small nose. The lady looked young, twenty at the most.

She was prettier than any model I'd ever seen or heard of.

But what WAS she? She was human and yet nothing at all like one. I'd never seen or heard of something so strange and weird. But could beauty that absolute possibly be evil? In fact, judging by my being alive, she had saved me.

Then I felt like crying. I had wanted death so badly, yet this mysterious woman had denied me even that! The tears wouldn't come though. The dry feeling intensified.

"Are you thirsty?" She asked. Her voice was soft and breezy. I envied her in her perfection, but nodded anyway.

She took a glass of water from its resting place on the table and gave it to me. I downed it in about three gulps. Wow. I really was thirsty.

Drinking the water, I saw my hands.

They weren't my hands anymore, I knew that much. My hands were supposed to be peach colored with bitten nails. These things in front of me were longer, thinner, and electric blue. A slightly paler shade of blue existed in the webbing between the fingers, though. The nails were just the right length, oval and perfect.

Once again, I, Alana, began to scream.

"Shhhh….quiet down. You'll wake everybody up. It's okay, I know it's hard, I remember. Everything will work out."

She was crooning meaningless words to me, stroking my hair, which I felt. I mean really felt, but hair has no nerve endings, right? It's not even alive. I almost freaked out again at that, but stayed quiet more out of embarrassment than actually calming down. This lady was petting me and muttering like I was a baby.

"What's your name?" she asked, seeing my mask of calm. Ha! I'd always been a good actor. "I'm Lynn."

"Alana." Prefectly calm. I should learn how to play poker. I could rob everybody and they'd never even know.

"Sweetie, I know it's scary and confusing." _Oh really?_ said my face._ I wouldn't know._ " But you have to keep on going. This life is truthfully a lot better than a human one, especially since you hated your life enough to try to end it."

"The truth is, you're not a human anymore."

Well. There goes the poker face.


	5. Complicated Explainations

**A/N- So far so good. Alana has not yet escaped my evil clutches! MUWAHAHAHA!**

**Alana- Give me some credit! I tried calling the police, poisoning myself, sending flares, smoke signals, Morse code…..**

**M/M- Okay, we get it. You hate me! **

**Alana- Why am I your hostage again?**

**M/M- To motivate people to review me, and for my sick entertainment.**

**Alana- Very sick all right. I get no food, no freedom, no cell phone, no Internet….**

**M/M- You hate texting.**

**Alana- Shhhhhh! I see some sympathy in the readers. Maybe there's hope for me?**

**M/M- There isn't.**

Chapter Five

Complicated Explainations

"No, no, it's not that bad." Lynn was slurring her words in her panic at seeing my panic. It was more like "nunuiznotdatbad."

"You're better than human, more. You're part-fish, like me." It's amazing how quickly one sentence can send you spiraling into hyperventilation.

She tried again. You have to give the girl some credit, she doesn't give up easily. "This is a new opportunity, a new life. And you're not alone. Half Moon has a few hundred of us." This was, if not calming, less panic-inducing.

"What did you _do_ to me?" I choked out; feeling like the words had caught in my mouth.

"You were dying. I stitched and bandaged you as best as I could. Once you were well enough to stand it, I gave you some of my medicines, specially made. It transformed you into what you are now: Nixie."

"A whaaaaaaaat?"

"Nixie. You are like me, although every individual has different human features and different….aquatic ones."

With my poker face gone, Lynn saw my confusion. Honestly, I didn't understand a word of what she said, let alone believe it.

She sighed. "Get out of the bed, and stand up."

I obliged, seeing that I was wearing a white dress as well. The rest of my skin was electric blue like my hands, and I towered over Lynn. I had grown from a bit over five feet to six. It took some honest effort to swallow down my fear.

Lynn pulled a full-length mirror out from under the bed and set it in front of me.

Wow.

I'd never been anything but average, so being every bit as strange and beautiful as Lynn was shocking.

My hair was no longer brown. It was a light, almost shiny green, and had grown two feet to hang at my fingertips. My eyes had gotten rounder and changed from hazel to purple. I used to have very thin lips, but now they were full and a rosy red in color.

At first I was simply glad to once in my life be beautiful.

Then, I was terrified.

If Lynn's words didn't prove it, this being in the mirror was the final straw. I clearly wasn't human. The bright colors that were so pretty were also oddly flashy, as if made to draw attention, which didn't sit well with me. I liked to blend in. Also, they would never be mistaken for the peach to ebony shades of normal people.

I wasn't me anymore. Not even the shape of my eyes was the same. I felt lost, like I was missing part of myself. Which I was. My body.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry." Lynn set the mirror against the wall, and came to hug me. It felt surprisingly comforting. "I know it feels strange, like you aren't yourself anymore. But you are, Alana. A body does not define you. Your personality is the same. _You_ are still the same. And if I must say so myself, more beautiful than most Nixie are."

I was surprised at how comforting this was to me. Lynn reminded me of my father in a strange way: comforting and helpful. I was still too dry to cry, but my gasps stopped.

"Nixie are marine creatures, and similar to humans, which is why humans can transform into Nixie. However, Nixie can have babies, but they usually don't. Right now, you're in Half Moon, a community of ours. It's a network of buildings on the ocean floor near Half Moon Bay, about 28 miles south of San Francisco, where we found you. We have both air and water in our buildings, as all Nixie have gills to go with their lungs. Some like water, some prefer to breathe air. It's a personal preference."

Whoa, Lynn was on a roll.

"We only transform young humans, in their teens or early twenties, and only if they are on death's door. We do not steal lives. And the last thing: we're immortal. Nixie do not die of age, but we can be killed."

I was in a daze.

"That's a lot."

Lynn laughed. "You like it? It's my special monologue for newbies!" She was grinning. "We sleep in dorms, sort of. You'll share a room with five other girls. Here, I'll show you your room."


	6. Introductions

**A/N- Just a note, I am honestly surprised at how FUN reading fanfiction at 2 am with throbbing sunburn and eyes-hurting-from-bright-screen-syndrome really is!**

**Alana- Yeah, your fancy bright screen kept me up all night with you.**

**M/M- What the heck is that supposed to mean?**

**Alana- I hate you.**

**M/M- I CREATED you, and I am repaid with hate? Thanks a lot.**

**Alana- Well, you didn't give me the man of my dreams, billions of dollars in gold, or a country to rule over, so yes, I hate you.**

**M/M- Somebody's feeling a bit resentful aren't they?**

**Alana- Somebody has a death wish, don't they?**

Chapter Six

Introductions

Well, the only door lead into a – guess what? White! Oh, you're so smart - hallway. That was a bit anticlimactic, since Lynn's monologue had led me to expect something crazy, like a super-spy lair, or a rainbow road with galloping unicorns, or maybe a stone cavern full of candles. I didn't expect what looked like a super-clean school hallway, minus the lockers. Doors spotted the walls, maybe fifteen feet apart.

At the end of the hallway was a door that looked out of place, an air lock, like on a submarine. Of course, we headed straight for the weirdest looking door.

Once outside, which was in the _Pacific Ocean_ I panicked. Lynn _said_ I had gills, but if she was wrong, I'd pay with my life. I tentatively took in a breath, which _whooshed_ out through the sides of my neck. It felt a bit odd, but it satisfied the need for oxygen, so I'd be fine. I had to admit though; it was a bit creepy, swimming with gills. Wonderful, since I had more freedom, but still creepy.

Looking around, I saw that Half Moon was a network of small buildings clinging to underwater hills. The hills helped; providing camouflage and protection. Most of them had skylights, all the better to see the sea with, my dear. Some Nixie were swimming from building to building. Their colors ranged from bright colors like me to pastel hues. I was insanely jealous of their graceful movements, as I was a clumsy swimmer.

It wasn't until we were halfway to our apparent destination – the largest building – that I realized my eyes were fine. I should have expected it, (why have gills if the water blinds you in pain?) but my eyes were not catching fire from the ocean saltwater, and my eyesight had to be even better than 20/20, everything was so clear and detailed. My distraction and troubled swimming made it hard to keep up with Lynn, who clearly wasn't aware of where I was.

After going in through the airlock, we arrived in yet another…white hallway. Ssssiiiiigggghhhh… However, this one had more personality. For maybe a five-foot radius around – and including the door – each door was a wallpaper of posters and notes. Really, handwritten notes were just taped to the walls, creating a really cool effect. As I followed Lynn, I read some of them.

_Note to Self: Do not spill hot food on people._

_Just-in time for Bieber Hotness! _(Ewwww…. Justin Bieber? There's no accounting for taste…)

_FYI: Your dance skills are nothing to me; I am too awesome to be outdanced._

_She wears high heels, I wear sneakers,_

_She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers_

_Dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find_

_That what you're looking for has been here the whole time._

_Buttons scare me._

_Purple is the best color EVA!_

So basically, just your random teenage girl thoughts.

We stopped at a door covered in music posters, everything from rock, country, pop, and R&B. The notes here were pretty random, judging by them, someone funny lives here.

Lynn just swung open the door, no knocking or anything.

The room was a rectangle, three beds to a wall. It was also pretty messy, like too much stuff in too little space. Walls were covered in music and movie posters as well as drawings and more notes. There was iPods, books, clothes, stuffed animals, pencils, notebooks, laptops, framed pictures, chocolate bars, a dagger, giant glasses, just random stuff, everywhere. The beds had brightly colored sheets and pillows, and the whole back wall was one gigantic closet. One bed on the end was unoccupied and obviously mine. Sitting on one of the cleaner beds was a circle of five girls, gathered around a pizza box; laughing, clearly unaware that Lynn and I were there.

My first thought was that this was awesome. This was exactly how I'd imagined living with close friends would be.

Then, I wondered how they got iPods, laptops, and a _pizza_ underwater. hhmmmmm…

My last thought was that I was intruding. I wasn't part of this happy scene. I had never had close friends like this. Never had I had a group of best friends, treating each other like family, the way these girls were. They could have been sisters.

Part-fish sisters that clearly were not human, but that's beside the point.

"Hello guys!" said a perky Lynn. They all swiveled to face us, suddenly silent. I felt soooo awkward. "Anyways, this is Alana, your new roommate! This is Sierra," she pointed to a girl with curly hair and a nice smile, the maker of random notes? Could be; "Yvonne" A tall, slimmer girl with long brown hair, she made me think of being stretched out, long and thin: "Aimee" was the one with light eyes, a round face, and good taste in beanie hats: "Jayla" the one with coral red hair, good eyes and seemed to like Areopostale shirts; and lastly, "Dyani" who was almost as tall as me, with green skin and blue eyes.

"Okay, I'll just….leave you guys to it!" Lynn bounded out of the room, oblivious to my distress.

Well. Stuck in a room with who could turn out to be my best friends or hated enemies, depending on the next 10 minutes. Great.


	7. New Friends

**A/N- Well, today was….eventful.**

**Alana- I slapped her.**

**M/M- Yeah, thanks a lot missy! For that, we will go to the German woods, see if we can find a hollow tree…**

**Alana- What?**

**M/M- Read the story, I'll explain…eventually. Meanwhile, until the German hollow tree becomes available, I'll go get the duct tape.**

Chapter Seven

New Friends

Icy silence. Awkward stares. Yippee.

"Hey Alana, want some pizza? It's sausage and pepperoni." Aimee broke the silence.

I walked over, and they made room for me in their little circle.

"Sooo…." I said, still feeling awkward.

"It's okay, I remember being new, but we don't bite!" said Yvonne.

Sierra started to mime biting Jayla, who made a terrified face. That got a giggle out of me, well, most of us, really.

"Yeah, so I'm Yvonne if you didn't catch it. Tell us about you. What do you like, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., we want to know who just moved in."

I took a deep breath, and dived in. "Well, you already know I'm Alana, and I like country music best, but rock and pop are good too, and I like the colors purple and blue, I don't really watch movies, and I really like Chinese food."

"Do you like to dance?" Jayla asked.

Sierra interrupted me, "If not, I have a dagger over there we can play with."

Sierra seemed quite the violent one.

I nodded yes, and was promptly dragged off the bed by Aimee and Dyani, while Jayla ran over to a radio and plugged in her iPod Nano, which promptly began to blast 'Just Dance' by Lady Gaga.

These girls have good taste.

Aimee shouted, "Random dance party!" and the party began. We were dancing like wingnuts or something, doing the silliest moves, and trying to get each other to laugh. Dyani was sort of shy, even with her friends, but still danced pretty well. Sierra was 'joining forces' with Aimee, slapping hands up and down. It looked really painful; you could hear the _smack_ over the blasting music. Meanwhile, they were still dancing some really funny moves.

Yvonne and Jayla were really good dancers; I thought they could be professionals if they wanted to.

And if they were human.

I was holding my own, but I wasn't to Yvonne and Jayla's level yet. I danced with Dyani, trying to get her out of her shell of shyness. Our dance party lasted through 'California Gurls', 'Shake It', 'Misery Business', 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', to….'The Campfire Song Song'?

Oh well. We all sang every word, and were rocking out to SpongeBob when somebody knocked on the door. They sounded angry.

Dyani answered it, and we all crowded around to see who it was. We didn't bother to turn off the music.

It was a shorter girl, only about five feet, so judging by what Nixies I've seen, really short. Her hair was blonde and her skin was light pink. Really, she seemed super-girly, the kind of girl I would try to fit in with when I was a human. Now, I don't know if I would suck up to her or not. It was sad that until now, I never knew how much I loved singing SpongeBob and dancing to Paramore.

It's not like the popular girls did that. They did makeup and clothes.

"What do you want Delia?" hissed Dyani, sounding a lot meaner than the girl who was dancing cha cha moves to 'Shake It' with me a few minutes ago.

"You do know that I have weapons of death, don't you? So stay away." Sierra was matter-of-fact, staring down Delia with an unwavering glare of hate.

"I just wanted to be welcoming! I hear you have a new roommate. My boyfriend saved her, so I just want to meet this…Alina." Delia's voice sounded like she was a chain smoker, at total odds with her appearance.

"Alana. This is our room, so go away you creeper." I spat out, and slammed the door in her face. I hoped it got her in the nose.

I turned to everyone else. "Was that okay?"

I was met with approving faces. Sierra said, " I could've called her worse."

"Yeah, but bad language isn't nice." I heard 'Single Ladies' come on. "Move it you guys! Let's dance it out!" I started toward the center of the room.

None of us knew the whole dance, only parts of it. We danced out our anger at Delia, doing some really weird moves.

Later, we turned down the music to a more appropriate background volume, and were stretched out on the floor, finishing off the pizza and drinking Coke out of a mini fridge hidden in the closet, underneath a few pairs of jeans and a really cute jacket.

"Why do you hate Delia so much?" I asked, honestly curious. "What's so wrong with popular?"

"She's a bully.," said Yvonne.

"She hates everyone.," commented Dyani.

"She's shallow.," said Jayla.

"She's an idiot.," Sierra told me.

"And she's our polar opposite: vain and cruel.," said Aimee.

"Popular doesn't mean anything. Delia, as a person, is horrible. And she's dating _Malik._ Yuck." Yvonne sounded so sure, it definantly wasn't a lie. We were already best friends, after only about two hours. None of these girls would hurt me in any way though, I knew that. Some things just click. I guess I was meant to meet these girls. They were my sisters in all but blood, really.

"Malik?" I asked.

"The most _popular_ boy, Delia's boyfriend, a jerk, liar, and basically the most _desirable_ guy in Half Moon." Aimee informed me.

"If desirable means horrible, then yes, I agree." Sierra said. "I just want to go in his room at midnight with a chainsaw."

"Great…" I was disturbed. This seemed normal for Sierra though, so I wasn't exactly going to argue. I have to admit; going to my enemies' rooms with chainsaws was a comforting thought.

I felt it was time for a subject change. "So, anybody here actually have a boyfriend?"

Sierra and Jayla did. Aimee, Yvonne, and Dyani didn't, but had their eyes on someone.

Even if I had never heard of these guys, talking boys was comforting and easy with my newfound friends. We talked all through the night. Who needs sleep?


	8. Morning

**A/N- Today, we will find a German hollow tree. MUWAHAHAHAHA!**

**Alana- WHAT DOES A GERMAN HOLLOW TREE HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?**

**M/M- You'll see. Baby are you down, down, down, down, down? **

**Baby don't worry you are my only**

**You won't be lonely**

**Even if the sky is falling down**

**You'll be my only**

**No need to worry**

**Baby are you down, down, down, down, down?**

**Alana- You're a freak.**

**M/M- Cause I'm a freak baby. I want your love and I want your revenge I want your love I don't wanna be friends! I don't wanna be friends! I don't wanna be friends! I don't wanna be friends! Want your bad romance! Caught in a bad romance! Want your bad romance!**

**Alana- You're impossible!**

Chapter Eight

Morning

When I first woke up, I panicked. Where was I? Then yesterday flooded back to me. Oooohhh….. Lynn…Jayla, Dyani, Sierra, Yvonne, Aimee… Delia and Malik…

I opened my eyes and sat up. My little corner really needed some personality. It was bare. As for clothes, I only had the white dress from Lynn, but maybe Dyani would let me borrow something to wear. She was about my size.

Jayla and Yvonne were up already. Jayla was in front of a mirror, doing her hair and putting on a light shade of (waterproof!) lip-gloss. Yvonne was going through the closet, looking for something to wear.

"'Morning guys." I groaned, getting out of bed. "Should I wake them up?" I said, pointing to Sierra, Aimee, and Dyani.

"Please. I was just going to." said Yvonne, rifling around. I was surprised she didn't drown in the closet. In was a walk-in one, but not very organized. There was two racks, one on top of the other, jam packed, with more clothes mixed in with hats and scarves in heaps on the floor. There was also a series of drawers built into the back wall. The back wall also held the door to a large luxurious bathroom.

I picked up the first thing I found on the floor (a pen) and threw it at Sierra. I trusted her, but I was not risking getting stabbed with a knife. She rolled over, groaning. I took a running start and jumped onto the bed, which bounced so much she fell onto the floor. Bleary-eyed, she began to go through her morning routine before she was fully awake. I did the same for Aimee and Dyani, having some fun jumping on the beds. Five little monkeys, jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head. Momma called the doctor and the doctor said 'no more monkeys jumping on the bed!' Four little monkeys…

"Hey Dyani, do you have something I can wear? This dress is all I have." I said, once Dyani was actually awake and able to think.

"Sure. Here." She threw me a pair of nicely faded jeans and a black shirt with a splatter-paint design. They fit pretty well; you could barely tell that the jeans were too short.

By now, everyone was dressed. Yvonne was wearing a silky-looking red blouse and was currently plaiting her long brown hair into a braid. Jayla had on a striped blue and white shirt, casual yet nice. Sierra was simple, with an old T-shirt; her hair was down. Dyani had found a plaid red and gray shirt; right now she was brushing her teeth. Aimee was going through her beanie hats, wearing a purple shirt with a gray jacket on top of it.

"What about shoes?" I asked, confused.

"fe kont kear keam" said Dyani, still brushing her teeth.

"We don't wear them," translated Jayla, "They make it hard to swim, and our feet are longer, like our hands. Finding shoes that fit is a chore." she grinned.

"Oh." I said, "Well, what do we do during the day?"

"We all have chores, like a job, only different every day, so that nobody gets bored." said Dyani.

"Chores like…?"

"Cleaning, laundry, waterproofing our clothes, and cooking. There's scouting, but only rarely, like once a week. There have also specialized jobs, depending on the individual. Lynn used to be a human doctor, so she's a doctor to us now. Some, like Malik, are human looking enough to put on a jacket and hat, and be mistaken for one. The 'passers' go into the human world occasionally, getting us food, clothes, pens, iPod chargers, tape, picture frames, stickers, pipe cleaners, nail polish, and anything else we might need. There's a list on the kitchen wall, and if we run out of something, we'll write it down. Every week, one of the passers will go on an all-day grocery run." Aimee finally finished her monologue.

"We get one job a day, usually it gets done before noon. We get most of the day doing whatever we want. There's no leader, we just all work together. If somebody gets accused of something, though, we have a trial of sorts." commented Yvonne.

I was trying to get my hair in a ponytail, but was having problems, since it had only grown… oh, about two feet longer.

"How do we know what job to do?" I asked. In response, Aimee nodded toward a sheet of paper by the door. My new eyes could read it from halfway across the room, no problem. It was a schedule for this week, for all of us. Evidently, I had cooking duty.

"So, ready for breakfast?" asked Yvonne.

"No, I was thinking of eating you. _Yes _I want breakfast!" said Sierra. We all started out the door, arguing over whether bacon or sausage is better.


	9. Breakfast

**A/N- What would the world be like without music?**

**Alana- Less annoying. You wouldn't sing random songs.**

**M/M-Firebird fly, burn up the sky, wanna hear that engine crying! Step on the gas, gotta go fast, streaming through the night! Leaving it all behind, Firebird Fly!**

**Alana- I hate country.**

**M/M- Pour some sugar on me, oh in the name of love, pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up, pour some sugar on me, can't get enough. I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah.**

**Alana- I hate rock.**

**M/M- California Girls, we're unforgettable, Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top, sun kissed skin so hot we'll melt your popsicle! California Girls, we're undeniable, fine, fresh, fierce-**

**Alana- Take a hint! I hate you, I hate your singing, and just set me free!**

**M/M- Review people! I'll go torture Alana.**

Chapter Nine

Breakfast

The kitchen building was medium-sized, and very close to the girls' dorms. Half of it was an eating area and half was the actual kitchen where I would serve my time working today. This wasn't going to go well. I was not a cook. Heck, I couldn't even boil water! (Last time, the pot somehow exploded. Why, I have no clue.) I just hoped I wouldn't embarrass myself.

The eating area was just like a school cafeteria: crowded, loud, and crazy. It was nicer though; the floor was carpeted and there was booths and countertops to go with the tables.

Sierra led the way to the countertop and ordered six plates of food. Eggs, bagels, and bacon, it looked like. Once we got to a booth, the hogging began. Yvonne and Jayla had some semblance of manners, but we were all cramming food down our gullets as fast as we could. We were starved. A pizza split six ways could only go so far.

After a minute or two, the worst of the feasting was over. We began to talk and act normal again.

"Are you going to eat that?" asked Sierra, pointing to a piece of bacon left on my plate.

"Of course! Back off!" I had to swat away her hand; apparently she really didn't care what I said and was going to take it anyway.

"If you don't, I'll take you to a German forest. Find a hollow tree to hide the body."

Great.

When I looked up, I saw a group of four boys walking towards us.

"Who's that?" I asked Aimee, while continuing my attempts to get Sierra's hands away from my remaining food.

Aimee looked up, and waved and waved, her arms wind milling. She looked like she was having a fit.

One of them squeezed into the booth, sitting by Sierra, who backed off of my food to gave him a hug. Another gave Jayla a quick peck of a kiss and sat by her, cramming the bench to bursting point. The other two pulled over chairs from the nearest table, looking at me curiously.

I realized that it was silent. The newcomers were staring me down. Awk-ward.

Dyani came to my rescue with introductions.

"Hey guys! This is our new roommate, Alana! Alana, this is Keir, Sierra's boyfriend," The guy who had hugged her. His hair reminded me of a lion's mane, hanging in his face, covering bright green eyes. "Daunte, Jayla's boyfriend," She pointed to (Guess who? Yes, the guy who had kissed Jayla.), A boy who was pretty tall, and his skin was a nice sheen of navy blue. "Lucca," He had silver-green skin, and black hair that stuck up in random directions. "And Luki." This one had hazel eyes, a straight nose, and was a fiery redhead. "They're all roommates together, just like us."

"There's two other kids in our dorm, but we don't exactly get along." said Daunte.

"Malik and Kyle, curse their souls." said Lucca, flashing me a grin. "At least Kyle's single, or we'd have to bleach our eyes. Malik making out every time we walk in the room is bad enough."

"Know who else is single? _Moi._" commented Luki, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Luki, it's her first day! Don't hit on her until she gets comfortable. Or better yet, never. It's sickening." said Lucca.

Luki replied in kind without even turning to look at Lucca. "Says Mr. I-Wish-I-Had-A-Girlfriend-I'm-So-Lonely." He was staring at me, grinning.

It was both creepy and flattering to have boys fight over me. It was very good for my self-esteem, though, that's for sure.

"Burn!" said Keir, needling Lucca even more.

We were interrupted by Yvonne, who pointed toward the door, whispering, "Incoming! _Malik, _and he's coming over here!" She didn't even try to hide the hate in her voice. We all turned to watch his approach, varying levels of disdain on our faces. I was an emotionless mask.

Inside, I was kind of glad. Everybody clearly hated his guts, but I had never met him. I did owe Malik a clean slate though, untainted by my friends' opinions. He _was_ the one to save me after all. I doubted I would have recovered in the hospital, and even if I had, our family would have medical bills they couldn't pay, making life worse. I would have jumped again. Because of him, my life was the happiest it had ever been, and it had only been a day.

If he was a jerk though, I'd treat him like one.

Malik had yellow and black eyes, sort of a tie-dye. His skin was peach; he was the first Nixie I had seen with human colored skin. He had normal hair as well, a common shade of chocolate brown. He was tall, but still a few inches shorter than me. His jaw and nose were very straight and defined; his face in general was pretty angular. He could be called handsome, but not by me. Something about him repelled me; I wasn't sure what it was.

Malik wasn't alone. Two jock-type guys flanked him; one had a Mohawk and the other had a French mustache.

Darn. French mustaches were the ultimate sign of _evil._ These goons were truly bad news.

"Hello Alana. How's your first day so far?" Wow, Malik's voice was _deep._ I wasn't quite sure if I liked it or not.

"Fine." I wasn't going to tell him more than necessary. I may end up hating him. And besides, if I ended up liking him, I could make up for my silence later.

"You've recovered alright? The lower half of your body was shattered. You almost died."

"I'm fine, thanks. Do you need something?" Let's stop beating around the bush. Get to the heart of the matter already. Why was he here anyway?

He looked taken aback. "Well, I wanted to know if you'd like to eat breakfast with us. I would hate to be you, stuck eating with _them_." He pointed to the motley group surrounding me.

I hated him.

"For your information, these are the first people who make me feel like I fit in. They understand me. However, I _have _had a lot of experience with _your_ type, and I don't really like those like you, and including you." I paused. "You can leave now, if you want. It really doesn't matter." I went back to finishing off my breakfast, ignoring him.

You should have seen his face. Priceless.

Once he was gone, Luki high-fived me.

"Awesome! Nobody's ever stood up to him like that!" said Dyani.

"The look on his face!" Yvonne wheezed out in between fits of hysterical giggles.

I blushed, and ducked my head.

Just in time to see a hand trying to escape with my bacon!

"Sierra! Back off!" I swatted her away. Just for show, I hissed and crouched over my plate.

About ten minutes later, I was being pointed toward the kitchen. Toward my death of embarrassment.

We were going to meet at our room after our shifts, and the boys would come at seven. They recently got their hands on a copy of _Alice in Wonderland_ that we were going to watch tonight. At least I had something to look forward to, to get me through my shift of deathly chores.

I trudged toward the kitchen, feeling sorry for myself. I was going to break something, or explode food in the microwave, or catch the building on fire with the stove. _Something _was going to happen.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Gablooahh!" I shrieked, whipping around.

Oh, it was just Lucca.

"Gablooahh? That's what we say now?" he said, teasing. "I've got kitchen duty today too. Want some help?"

"Oh, the golden words of promise! Please. I can't even microwave a TV dinner. It always explodes, or catches on fire, or turns to a goo, or-"

"So assitance is welcome?"

"Why yes, good sir, it is." I smiled shyly.

I really wasn't very experienced with boys, as friends or as boyfriends. They were so different from girls, and I really hadn't branched out much before. I had no idea how to even talk to them. Clearly, boys weren't talkative like girls. Should I bring up the long hours of cooking ahead of us? Should I walk in silence? Or maybe I could-

"How did you, well, almost die?" Lucca asked me.

"I jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge. Suicide."

"Why? Life is never so bad that you can't fix it, improve on it. There's always something you can do to make your life better." He was quite the thinker.

"I guess I didn't think about it that way. I just wanted the stress to end. I wasn't willing to deal." I said.

Lucca was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the sudden light and noise of the kitchen as we walked through the swinging doors. It looked like a restaurant kitchen, like you see on television. There was people everywhere, doing anything and everything, making food for hundreds.

For two hours, we pitched in however we could. Chopping vegtables, reheating frozen chicken, making cookies. Lucca did most of the work, but he taught me some things, like how to hold a knife correctly, and how to crack eggs without getting shells in the bowl. Basic things, but I still didn't know them. It was sad, pitiful really. But at least I was learning.

Just when I was getting the hang of cutting tomatoes in all of their slippery slidey glory, the doors burst open, banging agaist the walls. Everybody turned to see the exhausted boy who had entered. He was sweaty, and panting. Must've been running.

He shouted, "Avery's having an episode! In the medical wing."

Everybody ran for the door, abandoning all work.


	10. A Vision

**A/N- ALANA! HELP ME!**

**Alana- What now?**

**M/M- THE LIVING ROOM IS INVADED BY THE ELVES!**

**Alana- WHAT elves? **

**M/M- THEY LIVE IN THE WALLS, BUT NOW THEY HAVE INVADED THE LIVING ROOM AND ARE HEADED TOWARDS THE STAIRS! THEY'RE COMING FOR US!**

**Alana- Calm down! It's too bad the insane asylum turned you down. Now I have to deal with you.**

**M/M- RUN ALANA RUN! OUT THE WINDOW! THE ELVES ARE COMING!**

**Alana- Let's just have a look at these so-called elves…**

**M/M- NOOOO! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!**

**Alana- Oh. My. Gosh. THE ELVES ARE REAL!**

**munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch **

Chapter Ten

A Vision

Lucca grabbed my hand and we ran out the door with everybody else.

"Who's Avery? And what exactly is 'one of his episodes'?" I asked.

"He's a prophet. His episodes, well, you'll see. It always happens right before he delivers a prophecy. They're never wrong, so it's always a good idea to listen."

We swam out to one of the outlying buildings; the one I had woken up in yesterday. In the hallway, we simply followed the crowd into the largest room in the building, an open library-ish area. People were crowded around, standing in a loose circle and watching whom I assumed was Avery, a surprisingly young looking guy with a round face and small mouth. He was spasming on the floor, deep into his 'episode'.

Suddently, he sat up, ramrod straight, his eyes unfocused. He began to speak, with no emotion or feeling in his words at all.

"Our life will be shattered. I can't see it all; only images. A flooded beach, a cruise liner. I see a camera flash. A science lab. Our homes….. deserted and empty."

His speech done, Avery fell on his side, shaking. The vision was over, but he seemed terrified by what he had seen.

Well.

Lucca dragged me back to the kitchen, only for us to be told that our shift was over. We said our goodbyes and see you laters, I hugged him, and we left for our dorms.

The day wasn't even half over, and yet I had already seen somebody predict our almost-certain doom. What was I supposed to do now?


	11. Nice Going, Cupid

**A/N- Sorry for my short lapse in updates.**

**Alana- She was sucked up into a different story. One that, I might say, that does not involve me at all.**

**Me- You can't be in all of my stories….**

**Alana- Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you say.**

**Me- People would get sick of you.**

**Alana- No they wouldn't. I'm too awesome.**

**Me- sigh.**

Chapter Eleven

Nice Going, Cupid

Malik was alone, for once. Delia was out with some of her friends, and his roommates hadn't come back yet.

So he took some time to pace and get some good wear into the carpet.

She was just so…intriguing. Every girl in Half Moon had had a crush on him at some point. Even her roommates, who hated him now, used to like him. He broke their hearts, and now they were a little Anti-Malik group.

But she…. she didn't like him _at all._ It wasn't that she was a good actor; he knew all the signs, after years of this.

She was one of the most beautiful Nixie he had ever seen.

She didn't even realize it.

She had a good sense of humor; he had seen her fooling around with her roommates.

She didn't even know the value of that.

She hated him.

She was unattainable, which was why he wanted her so badly.

* * *

Lucca didn't go to his dorm; he went to the library instead.

He really didn't want to be seen, so this was prefect. Silence, and even if there were people here, they would be too absorbed in their books to even notice him.

He simply sat in the aisle, dreamy.

Lucca's entire chest still tingled, right where Alana had hugged him.

She really was unaware of herself, wasn't she?

She was the girl of his dreams, heck, the girl of most guys' dreams, and she didn't even realize it. She had hugged him, and to her it was really no big deal.

He, on the other hand, had been trying to remember to breathe.

Lucca really couldn't blame Luki for his dumb pick-up lines. At least he was open about it. Lucca had no idea what to do, or how, or anything really.

Well, he had time. And they'd see each other again tonight, for the movie.

He couldn't wait.

* * *

When I got back to the room, I saw several new notes on the door. I paused, taking a moment to read them.

_Go out with me tomorrow night? _

_-Jonathan_

_Are you single?_

_-Derrick_

_Would you date me?_

_-Sam_

I was a bit flattered. I didn't even _know_ these people! But they'd be hurt by that. And I've never gone on a date, and I don't know if I really want to. Now, I have to be the killer of puppy love.

Oh great. Nice going, Cupid.


	12. The Guys Are Coming

**A/N- Sorry for my lame updating. But in my defense, I went on a 5-day camping trip. And recently started two new stories.**

**Alana- I hate them.**

**Me- Yeah, cuz you don't get to be in them.**

**Alana- ggggrrrr..**

**Me- Well, you're not a Maximum Ride character or my Dad, so.**

**Alana- I hate you.**

**Me- Nothing new! Please check out my new stories. The World According to My Dad, and Broken Wings and Broken Hearts, which I'm partner-writing with a buddy of mine, XxBlackEaglexX. She is AWESOMESAUCE!**

**Alana- Enough of the advertising. Write about me. I feel neglected.**

**Me- **_**Fine!**_

Chapter Twelve

The Guys Are Coming

Getting ready to have the guys over to our dorm was _exhausting._ We didn't clean, of course. Who cares about our messy living space?

We were all back at the dorm by noon, but we were barely ready in time for the boys to come at seven.

We girls had some serious primping and preening to do! We _were_ having guys over after all.

I won't go through all the details, but suffice to say that dozens of outfits were tried on and harshly evaluated, makeup was fussed over, hair was straightened, curled, and styled, nails were trimmed, filed, and painted, and jewelry was carefully picked out. Music was blasting the whole time.

Finally, at 6:30, we were ready.

It was kind of ironic that we tried so hard to look casual.

I was wearing a pair of ripped up shorts and a white tank top that was skin tight and went down to about the bottom of my ribcage.

I felt both awkward and empowered by showing so much skin. I had never been so bold before; I tried to stay unnoticed. But it looked great with my new skin coloring, and I was thinner than I had ever been before.

If you've got it, flaunt it, I guess.

It was completed by a silver locket and light red nail polish. I left my hair alone; I didn't do anything beyond taking out the ponytail and brushing it out again. It looked pretty nice, shiny green and hanging in loose waves almost to my knees.

The others were similarly dressed; carefully casual and as pretty as possible without being too obvious.

Yvonne turned down the music to a background level to give us a pep talk. We all gathered on the bed.

"So, Jayla and Sierra, your boyfriends are coming. Have a good time, but please, no making out in front of us. Get a bed or something. Aimee, Dyani, and I all have our…desired guys coming. I wish you good luck." She saluted them, military style. "And Alana, there's maybe two or three free guys coming. Talk to them, see if there's anybody you like." Yvonne grinned.

These girls had the whole dating thing down to a science.

I wasn't exactly complaining. I had been wanting a boyfriend for some time, but had never dated. I needed advice.

* * *

Lucca was excited to see Alana again.

This was going to be a big sleepover, but it was the girls' choice. They decided who had been invited.

Daunte and Keir were coming, duh! Luki was coming, and he was going to bring Jayden and Soren, two friends of his. And of course, Lucca was going.

Two other guys were supposed to come, but couldn't. They didn't tell why, but Lucca would bet that they had finally gotten a date. Good for them.

It was, after all, every guy's life goal.

They all went together, walking down the hallway, reading the notes and posters curiously. The boy's hallway was a lot less expressive.

The second they knocked on the door, it flew open. The girls had been waiting.

It was a confusing scene. The guys filed in, Daunte and Keir hugging and teasing Jayla and Sierra. Aimee was singing a weird song that went something like 'NOM NOM NOM NOM'. Jayden grinned, and went over to sing along with her. Soren was quietly talking with Dyani; they were both kind of shy. Luki was shamelessly hitting on Yvonne, who was subtly encouraging him.

Lucca's eyes roamed the room, and settled on Alana, who was a bit unsure of herself, hanging back at the edge of the crowd.

When he saw her, the world began to spin faster, leaving him dizzy and breathless.


	13. Sleepover

**A/N- So, its one am, I'm loopy from lack of sleep, and I want a waffle.**

**LET'S WRITE A FANFICTION!**

**Alana- Ugh! I just want to **_**sleep!**_

**Me- We don't need sleep! It's summer! We can sleep until three in the afternoon!**

**Alana- It's not right to sleep in the middle of the day. It's weird.**

**Me-EXACTLY!**

**Alana- Did I ever tell you I hate you with all of my heart?**

**Me- Hey, I'm making hot guys drool over you. Watch it.**

Chapter Thirteen

Sleepover

Oh. My. God.

Lucca was stunned. It wasn't fair for her to be so beautiful. It had to go against some law of nature.

She had on the shortest shorts he had ever seen, and her tank top exposed her taunt stomach. Her wide violet eyes were accentuated by a light touch of mascara, and her hair tumbled loosely down to her fingertips.

Alana had gone from a model to a _goddess._

_

* * *

_

I felt kind of like an intruder. Everybody sort of paired up immediately, and two of the 'free' guys couldn't come. So I was with Lucca. But was that for the night, as friends, or was I expected to date him?

I fiddled with my hands, sort of twiddling my thumbs. What now?

I looked over toward the rest of our party, and saw Lucca. He was sort of staring at me funny. Was something stuck in my teeth? Had my mascara smeared?

* * *

Oh, Lord, she had looked at him.

Right at him, stared straight into his eyes.

Lucca thought his heart might have skipped a few beats.

Oh my God, oh my God, she was walking toward him!

A girl so absolutely _prefect_ thought that he was worth talking to!

"Wow, everybody paired up _fast._"

Her voice was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

It took Lucca a moment before he realized that he should say something back rather than just stare at her.

"Well, we can, uh, start up the movie." He fumbled a bit before finding his back pocket and taking out the disk to _Alice in Wonderland._

Alana grinned. "I'll go put it in." Her fingers brushed his for the smallest moment before she walked away, long legs and shining hair swaying back and forth.

* * *

Wow, Lucca seemed distracted. And he kept staring at me. I was really getting worried; what was wrong? I peeked at the full-length mirror on my way to the flat-screen.

Nope. Nothing wrong. I looked just the way I had half an hour ago.

I hoped I didn't look too bad in these shorts. I thought they made my legs look a bit fat, but the girls had assured me they looked fine. I was getting a little bit worried though. What if they were wrong?

About ten minutes later, we were watching Alice's shenanigans in Wonderland.

We had taken the mattresses off of the beds, and shoved the frames against the wall. Now we had a huge open space filled with the mattresses, which were covered in every blanket and pillow we had.

Everyone was sprawled out wherever. Aimee was sitting in Jayden's lap, Sierra and Keir were side-by-side, and Jayla was leaning on top of Daunte.

Soren was hugging Dyani, and Yvonne was lying on her stomach, with Luki sitting up and playing with her hair.

Which left Lucca and I. I was sitting up, one leg bent, the other straight, leaning on my hands. Lucca was by my feet; his arm rubbed against my leg a little.

I was scared. Were we supposed to get together, date? Would he expect me to? Did I want to? Did I even know how to have a boyfriend?

I wondered what Lucca was thinking.

* * *

Lucca was staring at the screen, but he couldn't even process the movie anymore.

She was _touching _him!

One of Alana's smooth, thin legs was actually in contact with his skin.

And his goddess didn't even seem to notice that she was anything but a girl.

She didn't seem to be able to see that he couldn't breathe, that the nerve endings in his hand had gotten about ten times as sensitive, and that his heart was going into overdrive.

Maybe he'd have a heart attack.

Who cared? She was _touching him._

Lucca decided maybe, just maybe, he should say something to her about this.

* * *

I was really starting to worry about Lucca. He seemed like he was in a trance. Maybe I should say something.

He suddenly sat up and scooted up to where I was sitting, so he was next to me. Only about three inches away.

After about five minutes of the Red Queen yelling at her subjects, he whispered to me,

"You look really nice tonight."

I blushed. That was so sweet of him! I guess the shorts _did_ look okay…

"I've never met anybody like you."

His hand bumped mine, and I let him hold it. I did kind of like Lucca, after all, he was cute, with a good sense of humor, and he was really easygoing.

He put him arm around my shoulders, and I scooted closer, so that I was snuggled against his side.

Eventually, I fell asleep with him cradling me.


	14. Debating

**A/N- Hey world! I need to update….by that I mean I love this story, had a dream about Alana last night, and my friend continually texts me that I should write more. **

**Thank you my readers, for reading! **

**By the way, I'm planning on sacrificing Alana to the elves.**

**Alana- WHAT?**

**Me- Well, my buddy didn't want me to kill Iggy, so you get sacrificed. **

**Alana- Iggy from Maximum Ride? His life is worth more than mine?**

**Me- Yep!**

**Alana- Why do we even need a sacrifice?**

**Me- Well, if we don't keep them happy, the elves will eat **_**me.**_** We wouldn't want that now, would we?**

**Alana- Yes. We would. We meaning me.**

**Me- You're such a heartless monkey.**

**Alana- What?**

Chapter Fourteen

Debating

I woke up slowly, savoring this. It was so warm, and safe…

Then, my brain decided to start working again, and my eyes flew open.

I was lying curled up against Lucca's side, with my arm around him.

Oh God.

This was so wonderful and yet so horrible. I wasn't sure which was more relevant yet.

I thought I was the first one to wake up, but then Lucca squeezed me.

"'Morning."

He sounded like he had been awake for some time.

"Is everybody else asleep?"

"Yeah." he started to trace his fingers in little circles on my exposed stomach. I shivered in pleasure.

This was what I had always wanted, right? A boyfriend. Then why in the world was I so _terrified?_

Then again, I _was_ snuggled up against a guy I had met only yesterday, and I had never been this skimpily dressed in all my life.

Great. Now I felt like a total slut.

But he liked me too, or so it seemed like, from the little belly massage he was giving me.

If he didn't want to...date me, then he wouldn't have called me pretty, or let me cuddle up to him, right?

Right?

I looked up at his face, hoping to get a hint as to what he was thinking.

His eyes were closed, with a smile on his lips.

Lying there, with his messy black hair and wrinkled purple shirt, he looked like an angel cradling me.

Ahem. Anyway.

So, eyes shut. He was calm and relaxed, and he wasn't eyeing me creepily, so Lucca was no stalker pervert. But I already knew that.

Smile. He was happy. He liked me?

Ugh. I just didn't know. I _thought,_ but I didn't _know._

"Should we get up, or lie here forever?"

He grinned wider. "I'm not sure. Just laying here sounds nice."

Okay, I was willing to go with: he wanted to ask me out.

Maybe I should just do it. He was a great guy, and my terror was probably just my inexperience. I knew absolutely _nothing _about guys. But a girl could always learn, right?

Besides, my buddies would be able to give me some advice with this.

I should just jump into it. If you don't take chances, you don't gain anything from life.

I took a deep breath. I was gonna do it.

Of course, I'd wait for him to ask. I knew next to nothing, but I did know to always let the boys make the first move.

"Are we expected to do anything today?"

"Nope." Lucca said, popping the p.

I raised my eyebrows, and he felt the movement. Cracking open his eyes, he saw me, and sort of chuckled.

Probably because I had some serious bed head going on.

"We've got Saturdays off. Every room gets a different day off. Both of ours get Saturday. We usually spend the day together." He grinned even wider. "Jayden and Soren traded days permanently with some other guys so they could come and have the day off with us. Saturday is our goofing off time."

"We should wake everybody else up. I'm starved."

"'Kay."

I sprung up, and grabbed an empty water bottle off of the dresser.

"Wha'?"

I gave Lucca a smile. "I've gotta wake up Sierra, but I'm pretty sure she sleeps with a knife."

He got a look of understanding as I threw the plastic bottle at Sierra, who was laying next to Keir. I went through a pencil sharpener, a candy bar, two bouncy balls and a stuffed walrus before she woke up.

We started to lovingly kick everybody else awake.

After that, us girls retreated to the closet. Closing the door, we went into a frenzy. I tried on five outfits before I found something that I (and everybody else) liked. And I was one of the first ones done.

We all got out of there, and started to fuss with everything else. Hair was done, light makeup was put on, jewelry was picked out. Dyani had the foresight to turn on music before we started. By the time we were done, I felt pretty good. It was one of those days where you just feel beautiful.

I had on white shorts and a bright red spaghetti strap tank top. I had a thin silver necklace on, and my hair was plaited into one long braid.

By the time we were done, 'Girls Gone Wild' by Travis Tritt was playing. How appropriate.

The guys seemed a little bit freaked at how long and hard we worked just to get dressed. They didn't even change from last night.

"C'mon guys! Food this way!" yelled Sierra, pointing to the door. Dramatic, but true. We all followed her out, the boys lagging behind us, still weirded out at our fashion frenzy.


	15. Victoria's Secret

**A/N- So, Alana here has discovered somebody who she can talk to.**

***Alana picks up phone***

***BEEP!* Hello, this is the operator, what can I help you with?**

**Alana- It's about the waffle I had for breakfast this morning. He started to talk to me, and was all like, 'I wanna be a **_**spicy waffle!'**_** and I was like, 'Well, you're a waffle. You're covered in syrup. That's gross. And why are you talking, Mystical Waffle?' and he got mad at me, and started going all 'Actually-**

**Operator- Ma'am, are you calling just to talk to me?**

**Alana- Don't you sass me, boy!**

**Operator- Ma'am, we have some important business calls to get back to. I would appreciate it if you would-**

**Alana- Listen here, **_**Sir!**_** I am the **_**customer.**_** And the **_**customer is always right!**_** So I would suggest that you stop sassing me and let me finish my story!**

**Operator- Or what?**

**Alana- Or I'll find you and poke you with the fork I was going to eat my waffle with before he sassed me **_**too!**_

**Operator- That didn't make any sense.**

**Alana- Oh it most certainly does, **_**Sir!**_** And it'll make even more sense when I get your address!**

**Operator- Ma'am, calm down. Maybe you should-**

**Alana- I **_**will **_**find you.**

**Operator- Ma'am, **

**Alana- **_**Good day Sir! **_

**Operator- But-**

**Alana- **_**I SAID GOOD DAY!**_

***BEEP!***

**Me- So, yeah. She's starting to go insane. Review, maybe it'll make her feel better. And yes, long Author's Note. But, it was just so awesomesauce! I had to. My sister thought of it. The credit for that little 'skit' goes to my sis, Jill. I LOVE YOU JILLIE! Let's start!**

Chapter Fifteen

Victoria's Secret

After we had found a table in the dining hall big enough for the twelve of us, we all enjoyed a crazy breakfast of stealing food, light teasing, and some occasional playful slapping of faces.

And I was squished up against Lucca in the crowded booth.

Yes, that was very nice.

I was coasting on air after my decision that morning. I wasn't going to ask him out, but I thought he might ask _me_ out soon. Now all I had to do was wait.

Girls don't ask out boys. Then, the guy feels like a failure for not making the first move. That much I had gathered from my friends already.

So, we sit pretty, maybe flirt a bit, and wait.

Of course, I had never flirted before. But really, how hard could it be?

"So, I was thinking maybe we could go to the mall today." said Aimee out of nowhere.

My eyebrows instantly shot up.

Aimee saw, and was pretty quick to answer.

"Most of us were changed in our teens or early twenties; so naturally, there were plenty of people who missed malls. So, we took a vote, and about five years ago, we made a mall-ish building. It's both the one of the coolest and one of the weirdest things here, but it's awesome. Basically, just like a normal mall, except we steal all the stuff on a weekly basis. But still pretty cool."

I grinned. This would be fun. Going to the mall with twelve of my best friends ever.

It was really, really sad, but I knew the people I had met two days ago better than anyone in my human life. Like:

Jayla was really good with fashion, but she wasn't obsessed with it, liked to play with wigs, and she was a great singer and dancer.

Sierra was violent, but really funny and nice (but only when she wanted to be). She was obsessed with all things German, as I had found out last night. She was even learning the language.

Yvonne was an actress at heart, and she was a good dancer too. She had an unhealthy addiction with music, and smiled a lot.

Aimee hated spiders, liked purple, and could, if she wanted, be incredibly random. Sometimes, she rambled a bit.

Dyani was kind of shy, like me. She oddly, didn't really eat sugary foods like the rest of us. She was the only one among us girls who wasn't a much of a reader.

My roommates and I (with the exception of Dyani) devoured books. It was lifeblood, we needed to read, or die a death without words.

Daunte liked the color red, and was bold. He would do just about anything.

Keir loved to tease, and was very strong. He loved old 80's rock music.

Luki was pretty outgoing, and was pretty good with snappy comebacks. He wasn't the one to hide his feelings.

Jayden was a pyromaniac; he could blow anything up. He was also very sarcastic at times.

Soren was sort of shy, but thoughtful. He was pretty smart and wasn't usually wrong.

Lucca was sort of quiet, but he was friendly and easygoing. He was really easy to talk to.

What was really pitiful, was that I knew half of their favorite colors, but didn't even know my parents'.

Wow. I was lame.

I was snapped out of my reverie by Lucca, who was shoving me. What? Oh. We had to get out of the booth. Everybody else had finished breakfast. I was trapping him in the seat.

I scooted out, blushing a tiny bit.

"Move it, Blushing Beauty! Let's get there sometime today, please!" There was Keir, with his incessant teasing.

Sierra slapped him, probably for the 'Beauty' part, even though she knew he didn't mean it.

They were a cute, violent, couple.

"Let's just go, before a unicorn riding in a banana-pulled chariot gallops down from the heavens." said Aimee.

"Yes, because we wouldn't want the unicorn to waste his time with the long journey down to earth, now would we?" answered Jayden, rolling his eyes.

"Whaaaaat?" The rest of us had no idea what the heck they were saying.

Daunte just gave them a weird look and walked off, leaving us to follow him like a little herd of sheep.

"I hope the unicorn's sparkly!" Well, that was _one_ way for Luki to get some _what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-you?_ looks...

Dyani looked disturbed. "…Sparkly? Really, Luki, really?"

He gave her a duh look. "Yeah. Sparkly."

Trying to put an end to this really weird conversation, I just said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Airplane!"

Yvonne seemed excited. "Yay! Randoop strikes again!"

"Randoop?"

"A random person." she told me.

"Oh! Oh! I wanna join in the Randoop party! Fluffy huskeys!" said Aimee, bouncing up and down.

Twenty minutes later, we were in a small movie theater, watching Eclipse. I wasn't even going to ask how they got a theater underwater.

I was at the end of the row, and by my side was...c'mon, you can guess…Lucca!

I felt a strong urge to touch him. I also felt an urge to run away screaming.

So I did neither, and just sat watching the movie.

By the time we walked out though, I barely knew what we had watched. The eleven incredibly silly teenagers I had come with were distracting. When Embry first came on, Aimee jumped up, shouting "FLUFFY HUSKEYS! FLUFFY HUSKEYS!". During the fight scenes, Sierra and Keir were yelling at the screen, like "Stop hiding you little coward and fight!", "No, turn around, behind you!", and "Wow, you are so incredibly dumb!". Dyani and Jayla were quietly talking to each other. Daunte would make a _smack_ noise every time Rosalie came on screen. I had no clue why.

If he thought she was hot, then he'd better keep quiet. Jayla would kick his butt into next week if she found out

We walked out of the theater, joking around, and trying to decide where to go next.

"We should go to the food court"

"You just had a large popcorn, Jayden, how much more can you eat?" said Jayla.

"Yeah, we don't want you getting fat." Yvonne joined in.

Keir was mischievous. "Don't worry, Yvonne, he already is."

Jayden jumped at him, yelling, but Aimee intercepted him with a hug.

"Don't let him get to you." she whispered, with a tiny peck on his lips. It worked perfectly; Jay forgot Keir completely. Aimee deftly slid out of his arms before he got any ideas though, and gave me a wink.

"Let's just go to a music store." said Lucca, eager to be on the move and going somewhere.

"Oh! How about JCPenny's!" said Jayla.

"Really? A clothes store? We should go somewhere fun." said Daunte. He, like all the boys, seemed to hate thinking about clothes any more than Shirt. Pants. Go.

"Yeah, maybe I could buy a guitar! Ladies love guitar players!" said Luki, getting a whack upside the head from Yvonne.

Soren laughed, and Dyani whacked him too.

Keir grinned. "Or maybe Victoria's Secret."

We stared at him, mouths open.

"Mannequins in underwear. Girlfriends trying on said underwear."

Jay held up his hand for a high five, but quickly dropped it after seeing us. Six girls were doing some serious death glares, and he was right to be scared.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say." growled Sierra.

Keir didn't seem to realize that his life was in danger, and answered in the worst way possible. "I said, I'd love to see you try on a new bra, babe."

Oh, he was so going to get it now.

Sierra narrowed her eyes at him, and Keir seemed to finally realize just how furious we were.

He backed away, hands up. "Hey, hey, it was just a joke! I didn't mean it!"

We stalked forward.

And….LEAP!

We attacked, and the other guys just sat and watched. Faithful.

He was gonna have some serious bruises. We didn't quite draw blood. Almost, though.

TAKE THAT, KEIR!

.


	16. Scarred for Life

**A/N- I know I'm a spastic updater. **

**Sorry. C:**

**Why is it that I like to sing the boy parts in duets? Because, in case I have not been clear enough, I am a girl. **

**I confuse myself sometimes.**

**Anyways, please review! Opinions, suggestions, complaints, I love 'em all!**

Chapter Sixteen

Scarred for Life

Once we were finished with Keir, we dragged the other boys over to a table to wait as he peeled himself off the floor. Yvonne sent Soren and Jay to get us all some lunch. They seemed pretty eager to get away from us, but we just chatted like nothing had happened.

Jayla was indignant. "But Aimee, Alana's clearly wrong! Why can't you believe me?"

Aimee grinned. "Because, she is right, and you are obviously misinformed."

"I'm always right, Jayla!" I giggled.

"But forks are clearly better than pillows!"

Sierra broke in. "Alana, you have problems. Forks can be used to eat with, _and_ to stab people!"

Rolling my eyes, I explained. "You can have pillow fights with pillows, and sleep with them, and hug them. Pillows are just pure awesome."

"Hey, the guys got the food!" interrupted Dyani.

We ate our pizza, and forks won the debate, but only because the boys thought that something used for stabbing is awesome. I know for a fact that I was right though. After a vote, Soren got to pick the store, and he took us to BestBuy, so we could play with the computers.

"Hey, Yvonne, is epical a word?" asked Dyani out of nowhere. She shrugged, and led us over to the iPad display so we could Google it.

"Nope."

"Yeah it is, I invented it! Google lies!" said Aimee, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey, by the way, look up 'Google: scarring your child since 1998'."

Yvonne raised her eyebrows, while Daunte typed it in.

Let me tell you, the title does not lie. I will never unsee that horror.

"-Gah!" squeaked Keir, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Oh. My. Lord." choked out Luki. See, it was a horrible site. It terrified even the sickest, most twisted minds among us, and that was saying something. Why anybody would ever create or even think of such a site was beyond me. I didn't even want to imagine what the inventor spends his time thinking about.

Lucca was the first one to snap out of it, quickly closing the window, and practically running out of the store.

Just in time to see the storefront opposite of us explode, water gushing into the large hallway of the mall.


	17. Memory Loss

**A/N- Oh my lord, I am so sorry, my readers! I realize that it's been like, a month since I updated this, and I cannot apologize enough!**

**Alana- Stop groveling.**

**Me- Lordy, heck, no. The good people deserve more than simply, 'sorry.'**

**Alana-*slaps***

**Me- **_**WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?**_

**Alana- I'm sorry, what did you say?**

**Me- Oh, you are so going to get it now. *_DING!* _Oh hey, look, Spark wants to borrow you. She lost her cat. **

**Alana- Is she...like you? **

**Me- Well, she has her own language even her dad doesn't understand, has a Transformers addiction, and is incredibly random.**

**Alana- No. No. No.**

**Me- Go assist her! Spark needs her kitty-friend! *dances like a savage, Alana disappears*  
**

**NOTE- This is chappie numero SEVENTEEN! If you read Broken Wings and Broken Hearts, you'll know this is my favorite number. So, extra-special, dramatic, soap opera chapter for the good people!**

Chapter Seventeen

Memory Loss

What had just happened?

I had no idea where I was or even _who _I was. The only thing I could remember was an explosion. Water and broken glass flying everywhere. Then, black. I was pretty sure I was unconscious, but I had no idea how to wake up. So, I tried to remember.

Okay, simple stuff first.

My name was…what was it again? This 'remembering' thing wasn't exactly going to work out…

Well, let's focus on the present now, shall we?

My stomach hurt, like I had swallowed acid or something. I couldn't feel my fingers or toes, and my throat hurt. I was used to the throat pain, though. I had dealt with it for years. Why was that?

I am seriously hating this memory loss thing, let me tell you. I had no idea what was going on, what had happened, or why. I felt pretty stupid, unable to come up with my own name.

I was getting impatient. Exactly how long was this going to last? Surely it would wear off sometime, right?

Then, I heard something, and my eyes flew open.

Oh, praise the Lord. I wasn't stuck in that weird limbo, aware but unable to wake up.

My first thought was, _Eeew, what an ugly yellow._

My second thought was, _WHAT THE HECK WHERE AM I?_

The room was pretty small, and had no windows. The walls were a hideous, bright, happy yellow. I hated the color.

I was lying on some sort of platform thing, not a bed, but three feet off the ground. It was cold metal, and bare, no blankets or anything. The room was otherwise empty. Well, except for the fact that the door was wide open, and some guy was looking at me, a strange combination of annoyance and embarrassment on his face.

May I just say, that guy was a freak show. His hair was all mussed up and hanging in his face, and he was standing there wearing nothing but a pair of ratty old basketball shorts, but he either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Uhhh…who are you?" He asked me, tentatively, his yellow and black eyes strangely unfocused.

"Well, I'm not…really…sure." I told him, nervously running my fingers through my hair. Then, curious, I looked down at myself. I had on a T-shirt that said _Paramore 2010 Tour _on it, and some washed-out skinny jeans.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" he asked, suddenly mad at me.

I growled a little bit at the guy. I was having a memory-loss crisis here! "For your information, Mr. Attitude, I can't remember anything! I have no idea where or who I am! Would you mind telling me?"

He grinned cockily, eyes still unfocused.

"I'd know your voice anywhere. You're one of my _many, many, _ex-girlfriends. Aimee. You lasted about three weeks before I dumped you."

I clenched and unclenched my fists. If he was telling the truth, I'd beat him to a pulp. If he was lying, I'd beat him bloody. Either way was fine by me.

He seemed to _finally _see how mad I was, and quickly backtracked. "The thing is, I, uh…. need your help."

The last part was said so quiet that I barely heard it. So, he had a bit of a pride issue, did he? "Why would I help you?"

The guy shifted uneasily. Good. He should be afraid. "Well, you have memory loss, you said. I have no idea where I am or why, but I can't see anything anymore. I woke up, and wandered around, and you were the first person I've found so far."

I was startled a bit by this. "What, do you mean you've gone blind?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "No. I was trying to tell you that my hair is infested with little gnomes who bake me cookies."

"So, now that I know who I am, who are you?"

He beamed in my general direction. "Why, Malik, the love of your life, the golden boy!"

"Hey, if I kicked you in the face, would you fall down?"

That confused him. "What?"

So, I tested my theory. I jumped up, and, ignoring the slight dizzy spell, I gave him a roundhouse right in the jaw.

Yeppers, he fell down like a drunk monkey.

Stepping over him, I leaned into the hallway. It was painted the same horrendously happy yellow as the room, and I wanted to barf. Maybe I should. Right on Malik's face. Before I could puke on him though, the guy sat up, dazed looking, hands on his bruising jaw.

Darn it! I almost threw up on the jerk face. So close!

Anyway, so the aforementioned jerk face slowly stood up and reached out his arm at my chest.

"OH MY GOD GET THE HECK AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERTED CREEPER!" I shrieked, before he could touch me, and punched him in the stomach.

He doubled over satisfyingly, and wheezed at me."Would…..you…..stop…..hitting…..me! What the….heck!"

I glared. "You son of a pickle!" Okay, even if it wasn't a real insult, it sounded familiar and comforting to me, somehow. Was this a glimmer of memory? I sure hope so

"What the-", He said, looking confused. "What did I do?"

Then it came to me. Oopsie, he was temporarily blind. The guy had no idea what he'd almost done.

Never let it be said I don't have a short attention span.

"-Oops!" I sqeaked. I grabbed his hand and pulled the guy up.

Eew, his hand was sticky. Yuk. I hate sticky.

Anyways…

Holding on to him, feeling like an idiot, I peeked into the hall again, and seeing it clear, yanked Malik along behind me as I walked randomly down the halls. Ugh, the paint sickened me. Was this some kind of pycological torture or something? Because it was sure as heck working.

I found only about ten doors after five minutes of wandering. All were locked, and I was getting uneasy. Where exactly were we? Maybe I couldn't remember anything, but this place was creeping me out and my gut was yelling at me to get out of here as fast as humanly possible.

I was on edge, and so jumped a foot in the air when out of nowhere, I heard a loudspeaker come on, and a squeaky voice start talking.

"_So you've woken up."_

My eyes went wide. Did they have cameras? I didn't see any cameras anywhere. They had cameras didn't they?

So, I answered as intelligently as I could while freaking out.

"Whaaaaat?"

"_Yes, we have surveillance on you. We have a few questions for you. If you don't cooperate, we can make your life very hard indeed."  
_

I crossed my arms. "No."

Even if I can't freaking remember anything, I was willing to trust my instincts. Which told me to punch this guy in the face. Which would be kind of hard, since he was just a voice on a loudspeaker.

"_Very well then. Team H67, commence our little surprise."_

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

Oh.

A door in front of us burst open, revealing roughly ten guys in white biohazard suits that looked like garbage bags.

Malik felt me stiffen, and tensed as well, hearing their footsteps.

I went into a frenzy. I took down two before those guys even knew what I was doing. I was able to rip one guy's suit and kick another in the kneecap, effectively making him crumple into a heap. One got me from behind, though, and the world turned black once again.


	18. The New Program

**A/N- Today, a pony was run over on the highway. However, its owner cremated it in a large pile of sparkles and at sunset, it emerged as a unicorn! It now roams the countryside, and has killed many in a few short hours. Unicorns, you see, are venomous.**

**Alana- You've done it! You've finally gone stark raving mad.**

**Me- Why thank you! But of course they're venomous; how else would such a defenseless animal still be alive, what with all the unicorn poachers nowadays?**

**Alana- It's not alive! Unicorns don't exist!**

**Me- Say that to Charlie.**

**Alana- Who?**

**Me- Charlie the Unicorn. Duh.**

**Alana- Yup. Crazy.**

Chapter Eighteen

The New Program

So. Explosion. Metal, glass, water, plastic, general debris flying everywhere. Once the gushing wave of ocean water flooded the place, though, everything else started to move in slow motion.

Except, of course, the submarine.

Forgot to mention that, did I?

* * *

In the confusion, I lost track of where everybody was. I couldn't see; there was too much junk floating through the water, and the sub was huge.

So, utter chaos.

I caught a quick glimpse of bright red, and swam towards it as fast as I could. Jayla, her coral-colored hair vivid and easily recognizable. I almost shot past her; I was going too fast. I came over and floated next to her as she stared straight ahead, seemingly paralyzed. Following her line of sight, I saw what she did, and my eyes went as big as hers.

Men in diving suits. Diving suits. They weren't one of us. Intruders. They were in a circle around some sort of white-blue-ish blob…

Oh dear God.

Aimee!

I grabbed Jayla's shirt and yanked her forward. That was Aimee's white and blue hair! What the heck were these people doing with Aimee? And how had they found us in the first place?

Jayla sort of woke up; at least enough to swim on her own. We attacked the intruders. It was an oddly matched fight. We had no experience with fighting, but had the advantage in the water, were taller and stronger than normal humans, and had fury on our side. These people weren't going to take our best friend, no way, no how.

The big problem here was the diver's suits. They were made of metal. Metal is very hard.

FYI for you there, in case you've never felt the pure _joy _of punching solid metal with all your might.

This is probably why they had full metal suits instead of the elastic ones that divers usually wore. Made prefect sense to me. Of course, I didn't really even notice it until I go and pretty much break my hand on it, do I?

The divers looked startled, but just swam faster; they were taking Aimee to the sub. One of them hit her over the head, knocking her out cold.

Jayla started to drag me towards the wreckage of the mall; she was yelling something, but I couldn't hear her. I was beyond noticing anything other than the fact that they were taking Aimee. They were taking her away.

* * *

We swam slowly through the ruins, looking for others. Where had everybody else gone?

Jayla spotted them first; Sierra was trying to pick something out of Daunte's leg; he was grimacing. Yvonne was shaking, and Jay was trying to comfort her while Dyani watched numbly. Soren, Lucca, Keir, and Luki were still missing.

Jay saw us, and gave a small, sad smile. It was a pitiful excuse for a smile in the first place.

Jayla pulled Yvonne into a hug, murmuring to her. I tapped Jayden on the shoulder and sat down on a larger bit of shattered storefront. He lowered himself next to me, a puzzled look on his face, wondering what I wanted, probably. I let out a shuddering sigh and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"They took her. They took Aimee. She's gone."

He didn't react, just stared at me like he thought I was lying. I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Even if crying underwater was pretty pointless.

* * *

"Uuuughhh…." I groaned, my head hurting like heck and my arms feeling numb.

And two men standing over me, holding scapels and needles.

"_AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHH!"_ I shrieked my heart out, terrified. What were these wackos doing to me?

One turned to the other and whispered, "Powerful vocal cords. Maybe it's the adaptations for saltwater breathing?"

The other shugged.

I struggled with all my might…that was why my arms were numb. They were Velcro-ed to the operating table. But my legs weren't…

I swung my legs above my head and swung back, hitting one in the jaw and the other at the side of the head.

After a minute or two, I finally got my legs under me, and from there, ripping free wasn't much of an issue. I quickly jumped down, scared to be in here longer than I had to. Stupid memory loss was still in effect, and I was being experimented on.

Was I human? I don't think so; my hair was white fading to ice blue, my skin was pastel teal, and I was a good six inches taller than the scientists.

Nope. Not human. But what the heck was I then?

The door opened, startling me. It was a tall man, thin and lanky, with a small mustache and severely cold, flinty eyes.

"Hello, Number 001."

I narrowed my eyes. If he was going to talk to me, he'd have to make it a monologue.

"You met Number 002, smart girl. Resourceful. But we still have you beat. No way to escape from here. We went all the way with security. After all, when you discover a new species, you don't want them to escape, do you? Of course not. The very fact that I arrived right after your clever breakout proves my point."

What a creepy guy. His ego was enormous and his mustache disgusting. It was like a little worm or something, wiggling around when he talked.

"And, clearly, we don't want to lose you if something went wrong. A carelessly conducted experiment for example."

Was he suggesting that these experiments could _kill_ me?

"I just came by to inform you in person that we can't afford to run out of subjects. We'd like to start a breeding program between you and 002."


	19. More Drama, More Issues, More POV

**A/N- I return! And dedicating this update to Chad, a friend of mine who is being tortured by an evil little demon girl who somehow escaped from the depths of Tartarus. I hope you live through dealing with her, and for everybody else, enjoy!**

Chapter Nineteen – More Drama, More Issues, More Points of View

I sat next to Jay for who knows how long before we started to actually move. I just followed everybody else. Shell-shock, I guess. A normal and happy day, turned into an exploded mall, stolen friend, and an unknown enemy. Of course, I was totally expecting that. No surprise at all. No fear, no nothing.

As if.

Daunte and Jayden peeled off to the boys' dorms, leaving our already depleted group even smaller. I followed Dyani as she made her way to our room. I didn't even look as I walked in. I just threw myself onto my bed, falling asleep without even bothering to get under the covers.

* * *

A...breeding program? With 002?

So they wanted me to...well...with 002? 002...Probably that idiot Malik. He was nothing but an arrogant jerk, and I didn't even know the guy! Isn't that illegal anyway? I had no idea for sure, but it just couldn't be legal for a lab to force teens to...yeah.

_Any_ways, back to the present. Creepy man. Impending disaster. Confusion and no idea where the heck this lab is. Stupid memory loss.

There we go. All my problems laid out in front of me, nice and orderly. Do they seem any smaller, easier to tackle...? Nope. I think they may have gotten even bigger what with my thinking about them. Now I see why people go into denial so often. It's a lot less stressful. God, what is my life, a soap opera? No, it's worse. At least a soap opera makes some sense. Sick twisted sense, but its a lot more than what I'm getting right now.

First order of business. Creepy man and his creepy security. If I get out of here, maybe I can figure out where I am and where I should be.

So, I had been chucked into this bare room. It was totally featureless, and I suppose I wasn't exactly 'chucked'. More like been told to walk there and been poked with a cattle prod if I didn't. Same difference. Accursed cattle prod. That thing hurt more than being slapped by flying lobsters!

The metal door clanged open, and one of the scientists in baggy suits threw something at my face. He promptly slammed the door so hard that the echos vibrated off the walls and back at me like vengeful wraith bent on making my life even worse that it was already, which was pretty bad. I clutched my hand to my forehead, which had been hit pretty hard with the orange he had hurled at me. I was going to guess that somebody was having a bad day.

I crouched down in the corner and began to slowly peel the little fruit. For some reason, it didn't seem too appetizing to me; in fact, the orange smelled a bit sour. Sure enough, once I had gotten the peel off, the insides looked wrong somehow. It looked normal, juicy even, but at the same time very, very wrong. I shrugged and took a bite.

* * *

As Rymir peered intently into the computer screens, a smirk slowly found its way onto his face. Stupid gullible girl. What was she anyway? He intended to find out, and he would most likely earn a place in history books for it, especially what with how humanoid these creatures were. It was like a glimpse of the future as Eco-maniacs saw it; humans evolved to live underwater. But how? How had this happened without discovery? It would take thousands of years at least for an animal to evolve in such a way, and people were at the ocean all the time. Boats, submarines, surfers, scuba divers...how had this gone unnoticed?

Rymir shrugged to himself. Did it really matter? He'd get satisfactory amounts of money either way.

Flipping open a compartment built into the desk, Rymir pressed a small orange button. Within seconds, there was a hired assistant by his side, at the ready. The man was dressed in dress clothes; sharply creased pants and a velvet jacket. Rymir liked things prim and proper.

"Coffee," he said simply, sending the assistant scurrying away as if glad to distance himself from his boss. It reminded him of a mouse, actually. Turning back to the screen, Rymir watched as the examination team removed 001 from her holding cell, carrying her into the hallway and to the laboratory. They were under orders to preform some simple experiments for today, nothing too risky. It was too early in the scheme of things to take unnessesary chances. Later.

* * *

Stupid blindness...did they do this on purpose? Where the heck did Aimee go? And are my eyes even open?

Malik could not believe that Aimee hadn't thought up some new foolproof plan. What was she waiting for? It had been almost a whole entire day and nothing had really happened. Last time at least she had tried to fight them.

Was her memory loss the loss of his power too? Over the years, Malik had learned that if you look so good and act so ideal, then you can get anything out of anybody you want. He had prefected the art and rarely truly _wanted_ something that he didn't have. Because he had everything. But if this memory loss issue with one of his many exs was going to prevent that route of escape, than he probably wasn't ever getting out of here. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, Malik was a bit helpless alone. He relied on other people.

Feeling around with his hands, Malik couldn't find any clue as to where he was. Just smooth floor and the angle where it met the wall, which felt like metal. Cold and hard at least. That was just great. Metal is very hard to get through when you have no muscles or eyesight. It just doesn't work out too well.

As he felt the 'wall,' it flew open into his face. Must have been a door and he just didn't notice. Holding a hand to the already-sore spot where it had hit him, Malik fell backwards part from surprise and part from the new assault to his face when a fruit hit him in the face. Weird...throwing the food at your prisoners? That was a new one. At any rate, he didn't trust the fruit which smelled like...and orange, most likely. He didn't trust these people period. Duh, they were holding him hostage. Not exactly best friends.


End file.
